[Chat] FW: 2 houses

Christine Gray langwidge at erols.com
Wed Jul 25 18:43:35 EDT 2007


Interesting.

 

Christine Gray 

 

A Tale of Two Houses

House 1:

"The four-bedroom home was planned so that 'every room has a relationship
with something in the landscape that's different from the room next door.
Each of the rooms feels like a slightly different place.' The resulting
single-story house is a paragon of environmental planning.

"The passive-solar house is built of honey-colored native limestone and
positioned to absorb winter sunlight, warming the interior walkways and
walls of the 4,000-square-foot residence.  Geothermal heat pumps circulate
water through pipes buried 300 feet deep in the ground. These waters pass
through a heat exchange system that keeps the home warm in winter and cool
in summer.

"A 25,000-gallon underground cistern collects rainwater gathered from
roof urns; wastewater from sinks, toilets, and showers cascades into
underground purifying tanks and is also funneled into the cistern. The water
from the cistern is then used to irrigate the landscaping around the
four-bedroom home, (which) uses indigenous grasses, shrubs, and flowers
to complete the exterior treatment of the home.

In addition to its minimal environmental impact, the look and layout of
the house reflect one of the paramount priorities: relaxation. A spacious
10-foot porch wraps completely around the residence and beckons the family
outdoors. With few hallways to speak of, family and guests make their way
from room to room either directly or by way of the porch. 'The house doesn't
hold you in. Where the porch ends there is grass. There is no step-up at
all."'

The house consumes 25% of the energy of an average American home."
(Source: The Chicago Tribune, April 2001 as published in Cowboys and Indians
Magazine.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------

House 2:

"This 20-room, 8-bathroom house consumes more electricity every month
than the average American household uses in an entire year. The average
household in America consumes 10,656 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year,
according to the Department of Energy. In 2006, this house devoured nearly
221,000 kWh, more than 20 times the national average. Last August alone, the
house burned through 22,619 kWh, guzzling more than twice the electricity
in one month than an average American family uses in an entire year. As a
result of this energy consumption, the average monthly electric bill topped
$1,359. Also, natural gas bills for this house and guest house averaged
$1,080 per month last year. In total, this house had nearly $30,000 in
combined electricity and natural gas bills for 2006. (Source: just about
anywhere in the news last month online including Reuters & AP)"


PLEASE Scroll down.. 

 
 
 

House 1 is the home of George and Laura Bush, in Crawford,Texas.

House 2 belongs to Al and Tipper Gore, in Nashville, Tennessee.




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